1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to rod rolling mills where hot rolled steel rod is formed into a continuous series of rings, and the rings are deposited in an overlapping pattern on a conveyor on which they are subjected to controlled cooling. The invention is concerned in particular with an improvement in the reforming chambers employed to receive and gather the rings into coils as they free fall from the delivery ends of the cooling conveyors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional reforming chambers, the rings free fall in a helical formation into a cylindrical enclosure. The rings alight on a coil plate where they accumulate in coil form around a central guide. The coil plate is lowered to compensate for the growing height of the coil.
The central guide includes an upper nose cone which is separable from and carried on an underlying mandrel. A ring distributor rotates continuously around the nose cone to distribute the free falling rings in a controlled pattern designed to maximize coil density and to insure a subsequent smooth tangle-free payoff of the coiled rod.
When a full coil has been accumulated around the mandrel, interceptor elements are operatively positioned across the path of ring descent at a fixed level spaced above that of the maximum elevation of the coil plate. The operatively positioned interceptor elements engage and temporarily support the nose cone. Thereafter, as the initial rings of the next coil begin to accumulate on the interceptor elements, the mandrel is shifted from beneath the nose cone to accommodate removal of the just completed coil from the reforming chamber. An empty mandrel is located beneath the nose cone, and the coil plate is returned to its maximum elevation. The interceptor elements are then retracted, causing the rings accumulated thereon to drop abruptly onto the underlying coil plate.
This abrupt drop temporarily increases the free-fall distance of the rings, which in turn disturbs the controlled distribution being effected by the ring distributor rotating about the nose cone. As the rings land on the coil plate, they bounce and sometimes overlap each other, producing a random pattern that contributes to both a poorly formed and tall coil. Ring overlapping is a major cause of tangles and breaks during subsequent rod payoff.
A primary objective of the present invention is to achieve a smooth transfer of rings from their temporarily accumulated position on the interceptor elements to the coil plate, thereby avoiding the detrimental consequences of the abrupt drop experienced with conventional arrangements.
A companion objective of the present invention is to maintain a relatively constant free-fall distance of rings throughout the coil forming operation, thus preserving the controlled distribution produced by the ring distributor rotating continuously around the nose cone.